Photo By Sgt. 1st Class True Thao | A soldier with the 322nd Engineer Company out of Decorah, Iowa, assigned to Task Force...... read more read more
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BARAHONA, Dominican Republic – U.S. Army and Air Force engineers assigned to Task Force Larimar are participating in the 2014 humanitarian civic assistance mission Beyond the Horizon (BTH) at Barahona, Dominican Republic. The service members are building schools and clinics for the local citizens and the mission sponsored by the United States Army South, which provides humanitarian assistance to various Latin American countries by providing medical care to local citizens at no cost, building schools and medical clinics.
Not only does BTH 2014 allow the troops to provide humanitarian assistance to the host nation, but also allows the troops to refresh their skills and be cross-trained in different areas. During this phase of the mission, the engineers will be laying concrete blocks for a school building and finishing a roof at a medical clinic.
“When they come here, they learn to build different types of constructions,” said Sgt. Maj. Darrell Sears, quality assurance with Task Force Larimar. “For engineer units, being well-rounded is real crucial”
Learning different task takes time and most of that time is spent outdoors. With the heat glaring down on the troops, water was readily available and medics were on standby at each site, in case anything happens.
“We are watching each other to make sure we are drinking as much water as we can,” said Spc. Michael Molby, a native of Brainerd, Minnesota, and an interior electrician, with the 389th Engineering Company out of Middletown, Iowa.
In order to make sure that everyone participating in BTH 2014 is on the same page, the U.S. military uses a program called milSuite, where information is available for review by the units prior to arriving.
“They created a schedule prior to this mission,” said Sears. “The units are able to track it no matter where they are.”
The rotations typically begin their work flow at a slow pace to ensure they pick off where previous rotation ended at. This provides them with the opportunity to become organized and have service members know what their task at-hand will be. Once the units get into their rhythm, the troops work together to ensure they complete their task, lending hands wherever it is needed.
“They typically accomplish more on the last four days than they do on the first six,” said Sears.
Prior to the beginning of missions of this kind, fliers are distributed to the local populace while interpreters interact with local nationals explaining Task Force Larimar's intent. Local nationals did what they could to help out.
“We have had a great relationship with the local nationals,” said Molby, “They have been real helpful to us getting whatever we need out here.”
Not only has BTH allowed troops to build morale with local citizens, but with each other as well.
Troops have build camaraderie and are motivating each other to get the job done.
“Morale has been really high,” said Molby. “This has been a positive experience for us.”
With BTH 2014 continuing through the end of June, engineer units with Task Force Larimar will continue to play their part of BTH to get one step closer to completing not only the overall mission, but also leave permanent structures for generations to come in the city of Barahona.
| Date Taken: | 05.08.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 05.08.2014 21:35 |
| Story ID: | 129254 |
| Location: | BARAHONA, DO |
| Hometown: | BRAINERD, MINNESOTA, US |
| Hometown: | DECORAH, IOWA, US |
| Hometown: | DES MOINES, IOWA, US |
| Hometown: | SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 165 |
| Downloads: | 4 |
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